Love in a Time of Strife
by Skull-Lord Ainz
Summary: As an anti-monster group wages war across the country, Kimihito is pressured into choosing a marriage partner. But between the monster hunters and the Interspecies Exchange Program's strict laws, the other girls won't let their darling go without a fight.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 Choices Made**

"And yet another attack on an exchange family has been made today. Although no one was seriously injured, the attack has left the human adults in the hospital while the Laminal children were unscathed. The human supremacist group known as 'Sparta' has taken credit for this attack, claiming-"

Kimihito turned off the TV. The last thing he wanted to see after a long day of work was more depressing stuff on the news.

He sat back and ran his hand through his messy hair. This "Sparta" group made him extremely nervous. They had been active for the past few weeks, attacking Laminals and people who supported them. Exchange hosts had their homes firebombed and raided. The lucky ones were marked as traitors with graffiti. The unlucky ones were added to the group's list of "monster slayings."

"Are you alright, Darling?"

Kimihito turned to see Miia slither beside him. "I'm okay. I'm just worried about you guys. This whole thing is scary."

"Aw, don't be worried, Darling. Let me give you a hug."

Before he could stop her, Miia's tail wrapped around his body and began to crush the life out of him. He had gotten used to this by now, but he wondered how the Lamia never noticed him struggle against her. Sometimes she was more oblivious than Papi.

"Yup," he said to himself. "Blacking out…losing air…anytime now…"

To his surprise, he felt the tail leave his body and air rush into his lungs. After getting a few deep breaths in, he turned to see Cerea holding Miia back by her hair.

"Compose yourself, Miia!" Cerea said. "Your carelessness has placed Master in harm once again!"

"Oh, let her have her little fun," Rachnee said from the kitchen. "Soon I will have Honey to myself, anyway. She should enjoy it while it lasts."

"YOU WHAT?!" Miia shot out of Cerea's grasp and tried to throttle the Arachne, only to be caught in one of her signature webs.

"Oh my," Rachnee said. "Will you ever learn to watch out for those?"

Kimihito rolled his eyes. These seven Laminal girls could be such a handful sometimes. At least they were beginning to get along a little better. Even Lala, the newest addition, was becoming acclimated to the household. It was a relief to see the overactive dullahan not use her scythe to harm the other housemates, even though Mero desperately wanted her to duel with Cerea for him. Kimihito was just glad he could relax after making everyone dinner. As much as he loved cooking, do so for seven people and himself was exhausting.

To make matters worse, every girl was becoming more forceful in their flirtations. Miia was bordering on a yandere personality, while the other girls were either clingy or spoke in strange metaphors. Too often he woke up stuck in Rachnee's web or Suu's slime. They were becoming desperate for Kimihito to choose a bride.

Full moons were the absolute worst. Kimihito had to reinforce his door and windows to keep the girls out. They would try to break it down, tease him into coming out, or demand he open the door. Miia sobbed like he was torturing her while Mero demanded he not keep a princess waiting. It was like something out of a horror movie.

Kimihito finally had no choice but to call Ms. Smith to come by. Lazy and sarcastic, she was the bane of Kimihito's existence. Her unprofessionalism got him involved in this host business when she dumped Miia off at his place, ignoring the fact he was not listed as a host. But she was his closest connection to the Interspecies Exchange Program.

A knock sounded at the door. Kimihito rushed to the door before anyone else could answer. He was too nervous about their response. "I-I'll get it!"

Ms. Smith barged inside before the door was more than an inch open. "Wonderful to see you Darling! Got any coffee?"

Kimihito groaned at the name. At least when Miia called him that, there was actual affection behind it, not sarcastic mockery. "I already made a pot."

Smith poured herself a cup and sat down on the couch. "So, why the sudden call? Lonely without me?"

"No," Kimihito said. "I'm just worried about these recent Sparta attacks. I was wondering if you knew if we were safe from them."

"For now."

The blunt response didn't give Kimihito any relief. "What does that mean?"

"It seems this group has more support than we anticipated," Smith said. "Some people have been anti-laminal for a long time, and these attacks have given them conviction. Protests on both sides have formed around the country."

"Can't MON do anything?" Kimihito asked.

"Afraid not," Smith said. "We deal strictly with Laminal threats. Otherwise, we would be Laminals attacking humans, which is illegal."

Kimihito lowered his head in fear. He had no idea what he would do if the house was attacked. The girls could defend themselves, but then they would be attacking humans. Could they be deported then?

Smith downed the last of her coffee in one gulp. "Listen Darling, I wanted to bring this up later, but I can't think of another time."

"What is it?" Kimihito asked.

Smith put her cup down and straightened her sunglasses. "My superiors are just as worried as you about these attacks. They fear that seven Laminals in one house is too risky and wish to send six of them off to new hosts."

"They what?!" Kimihito asked. "You can't do that!"

"My hands are tied, Darling," Smith said. "I don't want this either, but they are convinced this is for the safety of the girls."

Kimihito felt his heart drop. He had gotten so close to all of the girls. He cared for each of them in a different way. This was why he was taking so long to choose who to marry. He couldn't imagine living life without all of them.

"This brings us to an important aspect," Smith said. "Please call all of the girls here."

Kimihito rose from his seat and shouted, "Hey guys! Family meeting!"

Cerea, Miia, and Rachnee were there in seconds, nearly trampling each other. Suu and Papi came shortly behind. Lala took her time, guiding Mero's wheelchair.

"What is it, Master?" Papi asked.

"What is it, Master?" Suu asked, copying her friend.

"Are we going out again?" Miia asked excitedly.

"You had a date last time," Rachnee said. "Learn to share poor Honey."

"It's not that," Kimihito said. "Smith has something to say."

Smith cleared her throat. "I have just finished Darling that the Interspecies Program is looking to separate the seven of you. Six of you will be sent to various families to decrease your chances of being attacked by the anti-Laminal group, Sparta."

There were various shouts of protests from the girls.

"What?!"

"How horrible!"

"I refuse."

"I can't leave Suu!"

"I like it here!"

"Do I have to?!"

Smith ignored their protests and continued. "However, one may stay here with Darling. As his bride."

Smith turned to Kimihito. "So, Darling? Who is it going to be?"

Kimihito could barely find his voice. "But…I can't do this now! There hasn't been enough time!"

"I'm sorry, Darling," Smith said. "But there is no time left. The Program wants this done as soon as possible."

Kimihito looked at his girls. All of them were staring back at him with pleading looks, except for Lala, who masked her emotions as usual. He tried to think of who to pick. He loved each of them in different ways.

Miia had always loved him, since the beginning. She had also been the first houseguest. But she was so smothering and clingy. And dangerous. She had no clue of her own strength. Kimihito was unsure if she would even let him out of her sight if they were married. Plus, she couldn't cook to save her life.

Papi was fun and happy-go-lucky. Nothing could get her mood down. That was definitely a plus. But she could be way too childish and even annoying. She was more of a little sister than a girlfriend.

Cerea was the most mature of the bunch. She was willing to cook and clean alongside him, even when he didn't want it. But he wanted a wife, not a servant. She didn't see herself as an equal, which would probably harm their relationship.

Suu had the same pros as Papi. Unfortunately, she was just as dangerous as Miia. Instead of being crushed, she could drown him.

Mero had an air of regality and social construct about her. It would be the easiest to have a normal life with her. But she was a mermaid. He would need to keep her near water at all times. There was no way he could constantly be in a pool, or she on land.

Rachnee was far too domineering and mean. She wanted control of all things and enjoyed tormenting others. Even so, there was a part of Kimihito that enjoyed it. Maybe he was just as submissive as Cerea.

Lala reminded him of himself. A nerd and cosplayer at heart, they shared a love of the supernatural and unexplained. But she constantly hid her emotions and could never have a normal conversation with anyone. It was a chore just to ask how her day was.

Kimihito sucked in a deep breath. He had to choose the best girl; the lesser of the evils. In his mind, maybe he always knew the answer. It was the only right one to make.

"Well, Darling?" Smith asked.

Kimihito looked at his girls. "Alright. I choose Miia."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 The Pact**

Kimihito hands flew to his ears. He thought he'd go deaf from Miia's scream of joy. She hadn't even stopped for air before grabbing him with her tail. This time, she threw her arms around him in a hug.

"You picked ME!" She squealed. "I knew you would, Darling. I just knew it!"

The others girls weren't nearly as thrilled. Kimihito couldn't bear to look them in the eyes.

"B-B-But…Master!" Papi sobbed. "I don't wanna leave!"

"Suu loves Master!" Suu bubbled.

"I'm sorry guys," Kimihito said. "But she's been around here the longest. I've been with her the most often, and we've bonded stronger because of it. I'm really sorry, but that's just how I feel."

"Oh, how tragic!" Mero whimpered, striking a dramatic pose. "It is the ultimate sorrow!"

Cerea took a deep breath. "I…I understand your choice, Master. I will not get in the way of true love. I wish you and Miia the best."

Kimihito finally spared a glance at the girls. Most of them looked downright heartbroken. Papi and Suu were crying loudly while Mero sat back in her chair, looking mournful. Cerea tried her best to look distinguished, but a lone tear escaped her eye. As usual, Lala looked bored.

Oddly enough, Rachnee had a smile on her face. Not a nice and happy smile, but one that sent shivers down Kimihito's spine. She only looked that way when she was tying someone up in her web.

"I see," Rachnee said. "Well, there is simply no helping it. Honey has made his choice."

Miia shot the other girls a triumphant grin. "I win! He's mine! All of you have to back off now!"

Kimihito managed to choke out a response. "Miia…stop tormenting them…"

He felt her coils begin to loosen as Miia did a small dance on the carpet. "I'm going to be Darling's wife!"

Ms. Smith finally spoke up. "An excellent choice, Darling. She will make quite the suitable spouse."

Smith put her coffee down and walked towards the door. "I will begin putting together papers for host exchanges. And for wedding preparations."

Miia squealed once again. "A wedding! Oh, to wear a clean, white dress on that day! I'm getting shaky just thinking about it! Shall I cook a celebratory feast?"

"NO!" Everyone in the room, even Lala, objected.

Ms. Smith opened the door and began to step about, but suddenly stopped. She turned back and took off her sunglasses. "Oh, and about the exchanges? For what it's worth, I am truly sorry."

She closed the door behind her.

Kimihito yawned loudly. He hadn't even noticed how late it was, and he needed to be into work early. "It's getting late, guys. I need to go to bed."

"Oh! Let me to come with you!" Miia said.

"What? No!" Kimihito snapped. Miia backed off, looking hurt.

"I mean, that would be nice, but…" Kimihito thought about how to phrase his statement. "I don't know if they'll let us do anything yet. If you get pregnant, they might think something's been happening all along. I'm already losing everyone else. I can't lose you too."

Miia felt tears in her eyes. Her Darling loved her enough that he wanted to wait. "Okay! I will wait for our wedding day!"

Kimihito walked up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving the girls behind.

"I will retire as well," Cerea said. "Good night."

She walked to her room and closed the door. Loneliness immediately reared its head. Cerea had felt ostracized by everyone throughout her life. Now she had found someone who cared for her, and she was going to lose him too. Even worse, he willfully chose someone else over her. Burying her head into the pillow, she finally allowed the tears to came out.

…

Someone was on Cerea's head. She slowly opened her eyes to see Papi and Suu standing beside her.

"How did you get in?" Cerea groaned.

Papi smiled, ignoring the question. "C'mon! Rachnera says she has something for us!"

The two ran outside as fast as they could. Cerea rolled her eyes and rose to her hooves. What could be so important that the spider had to wake them up in the middle of the night?

Coming to the living room, Cerea could see everyone present except for Miia and Master. Suu, Papi, and Mero were excited were Lala looked more annoyed than usual. Rachnee had a look of insidious triumph.

"What is the meaning of this?" Cerea asked.

"I'm so glad you asked," Rachnee said. "I've been thinking about Honey's choice of wife. Miia's nice and all, but we all knew he'd have to pick one day. And personally, I'm okay with not being Honey's wife."

"You are?" Papi asked.

"I am," Rachnee said. "But there are other ways to have Honey. And I have no intention of being traded like a child's toy. My idea will kill two birds with one stone?"

"HEY!" Papi squawked.

"Just what are you saying?" Cerea asked.

Rachnee slowly looked at each of her housemates before making the largest grin she ever made.

"Honey is going to get each of us pregnant."

The housemates almost had a unified reaction. Mero placed her webbed hands together in joy. "A child born with my Master! Nothing could make me happier!"

"YAY! I'm gonna be a mommy!" Papi shrieked.

Suu bubbled and shifted while cooing with pride. "Master's gonna make a baby with me?"

"Are you serious?" Everyone turned to see an angry Cerea. Her hand was on the hilt of her sword. "You would have us break apart our Master's happy marriage?!"

"Oh no, dear," Rachnee said. "Honey can only have one wife. But there are no limits to his mistresses."

"He will never agree to this!" Cerea insisted.

"Won't he?" Rachnee said. "I've seen how he looks at us; looks at you, even. He loves all of us, but he can never marry us all. He knows that. And yet, he wants all of us to stay together. I am certain her can love us all equally."

"And what of Miia?" Mero asked.

"She wants to be his wife. His favorite," Rachnee said. "And she will be. Something none of us can ever have. I'm certain that will be enough for her."

Cerea moved her hand away from her sword but did not look any happier. "I just…I cannot see how this will work. We will be deported if they catch us and Master will be jailed."

"I am certain they will not deport six pregnant women and jail their father," Rachnee said. "Can you imagine the news? Our homelands would eat the Exchange program alive. Literally, in my case."

Cerea still didn't look convinced.

"Cerea," Mero said. "We all love our Beloved. We want him to stay with us forever. Don't you wish the same? Would you not risk everything to be with the one you love?"

The Centaur clenched her fist. She hated being wrong and wanted to do the honorable thing. But deep in her heart, she knew she could not bear to lose her Master. He was worth any dishonor, any risk. She would duel to the death if it meant they could be together.

"Very well," Cerea said. "I accept your terms."

Rachnee turned to the Dullahan. "And you, Lala?"

"I am an avatar of death itself," Lala droned. "I do not bring life into this world. I take it. To do otherwise would be against my nature."

"So, you don't want to stay?" Papi asked.

"I am death incarnate," Lala said. "I will be with him when his soul leaves his body. There is no need for trickery and games in this life."

"But Lady Lala," Cerea said, "do you not have desires for this world?"

"Do you not wish to be happy?" Mero added. "Why would you wait to be happy when you can have it right now? I am certain Beloved will be willing to love you too!"

Lala crossed her arms. "He is just a man. He has no bearing on my mind or my soul. I…I…"

For once, Lala's expression began to break and her shoulders started shaking. "I…cannot lose him…like this. To have him forget me…"

Rachnee interrupted her friend's monologue. "So, are you in or out?"

Papi giggled at the suggestive question. Lala uncrossed her arms and stared at Rachnee's six eyes. "He will be mine. In this life, and the next."

"Then it's settled," Rachnee said. "Tomorrow, after we work out the details, we will tell Honey of our plan."

Suu and Papi cheered in harmony. The family was not going to be broken up. Not by the government, not by Sparta, and not by Ms. Smith.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Best-Laid Plans**

Kimihito slowly walked his way back home from work. He was not looking forward to coming back to his housemates. For all he knew, they could be angry or upset over his choice and waiting to make him change his mind. He had fortunately avoided them due to his early schedule. Miia would also likely be a nightmare. She probably had fantasies running through her head about their upcoming wedding.

Or worse, their consummation.

As hiver escaped down his spine. He loved Miia dearly, but he was deathly afraid of a night with her. She could easily crush him in the throes of passion. If tat happened, it was unlikely the other girls would save him.

Kimihito looked around the crowded street. It was nice to see some other humans. Being around monsters constantly quickly became taxing. There was no prejudice behind his feelings, so he didn't feel bad about them. It was similar to seeing a distant friend. He wondered how long it had actually been since he had seen his parents.

Actually, the streets seemed more crowded than usual. In fact, they were all rushing in the same direction. Curiosity got the better of him. He needed to get home, but he could not help himself. He rushed around the corner and followed the crowd.

There was a group of people standing on top of a large van. They were dressed in shiny clothes with a curved Spartan symbol on their shirts. A crowd had formed around them, cheering in praise. One of the men leapt onto the hood of the car and shouted in greeting.

"My fellow citizens!" He shouted. "My name is Raiko, named for the famed slayer of the spider Oni, Shuten-doji. Monster slaying goes back in my family since man first crawled from the caves! It has been a noble sport, until now!

"For years, mankind saw monsters for what they are: beasts that feed on human flesh! That robbed their children in the night! That spread plague and pestilence! Oh, we fought, alright! Every step of the way through man's ascent in history and legend, we fought! And so did the enemy! We invent the spear, they grow impenetrable skin! We learn to form nations and cities, they learn the gift of speech and trickery!

"And now, monsters used our most sacred invention to their own nefarious gains! They seek to use our own government and civil rights as a cry for help! As a means to mask their true nature! They appear human enough and speak our language, and it fools those in power! Those who are meant to protect us!

"But Sparta is not fooled! They may label us murderers and villains, but we know the truth! We only want to save our people from the clutches of these monsters. These "host families" are bewitched and willing to let their lives be taken over by these creatures! They have betrayed their own species to demonic charlatans! Well, I don't know about you, but we won't allow our children to grow up in the shadow of the enemy! They will know heroism!"

The crowd roared in support.

"I ask you, my fellow people," Raiko continued, "will you allow these monsters to fool you into believing they are little more than animals? To sacrifice your children like Andromeda to the sea serpent because the government demands it?"

The crowd responded. "NO!"

"Then follow us into the future!" Raiko shouted. "Follow in the footsteps of noble monster hunters! Perseus and Medusa! Beowulf and Grendel! St. George and the Dragon! Let my dragon-slaying ancestors look on us with pride!"

One of the women on the car whipped out a stack of pamphlets and began handing them out to the crowd members. Kimihito rolled his eyes and continued on his way home, hoping the cops would come by and arrest the Spartans.

…

"Hey guys! I'm home!"

Miia casually slithered to the door in an apron. "Good morning, husband!"

Kimihito eyed the Lamia carefully. "Did you cook again?"

"Of course!" Miia said. "But Suu ate it!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Where are the others?"

"They said they wanted to get ready for you," Miia said. "I'm not sure what for though."

At that moment, all six girls came down the stairs at once. Papi tripped over herself but quickly got back up. The atmosphere left Kimihito shaken.

"What is going on?" He asked.

"Rachnera says she has a plan for you to marry us all!" Papi said.

"Not what I said," Rachnee corrected the Harpy. "In fact, I had an entire speech on this that you just ruined."

"Allow me." Cerea stepped forward to address Kimihitio. "Milord, we stand here before you for a most odd request. You are aware we have all grown fond of you, some more than others. And we do not wish to leave you to be with another host family. We accept your choice of Miia as your wife, but we simply cannot be without you. We request – no, we plead – that you accept our declaration and aid us in this endeavor."

Kimihito stared at Cerea in confusion. "Okay, you lost me."

"We all want to be with you, Beloved," Mero explained. "So we believe that they will not separate a mother from their father and child."

"Mother?" Kimihito repeated. "But you're not pregnant. We never did anything."

Rachnee smirked at his cluelessness. "Wait for it…"

Kimihito's eyes widened. "Wait…you guys can't be serious. You want me to…have a baby? With ALL of you?!"

Miia instantly charged in front of her fiancée. "NO WAY! I refuse! You all need to get with the program! I am his future wife, not you!"

"We never said we wish to steal him away," Cerea said, trying to calm her friend down. "We only wish to be with him alongside you."

"Darling is MINE!" Miia insisted. "I won't let him do this!"

"So, you truly hate us that much?" Lala asked. "To watch us grow lonely and afraid."

"What? No!" Miia said. "I don't hate any of you!"

"Then why do you wish for us to be sent away?" Mero asked. "This is the only way they will let us stay together."

"Please Miia!" Papi pleaded. "Don't make me leave Suu! She's my best friend!"

"Best friend!" Suu repeated. Her arms snaked around Papi's shoulders, covering her right side in her slime.

"B-But…I…" Miia felt tears come to her eyes. "I love Darling so much! I can't let him be taken away from me."

"We will not do that," Rachnee promised. "We merely suggest sharing Honey."

"But I want him to myself!" Miia screamed.

"You are going to be his wife," Cerea said. "That makes you his favorite."

Miia's eyes lit up. "His favorite?"

"He chose you, after all," Mero said. "He said you have been together the longest. You are closer than us. We can never have what you two have. Please let us be with Beloved in some way. Some heartbreaks are too tragic, even for me."

Miia glanced at her Darling, who was frozen to the spot with his jaw open. He had said nothing the entire time. Miia was no fool; she knew that her love had feelings for the others, as well as her. Despite her best efforts, he never only had eyes for her. In the end, that made them family. Splitting them up would probably bring a great sadness to Darling.

That was simply unacceptable. She could never let him lose his family and become depressed, even if it meant she had to get hurt. That was what true love was. Making sure others are happy before yourself.

Miia grew a serious, no-nonsense expression. "One night. For each of you. Or until you are pregnant. And I get to have him first."

Papi gasped. "So you agree?"

The Lamia's teeth clenched in anger. "Yes."

"WOO-HOO!" Suu wrapped Papi in her arms, covering her entire head this time.

"We graciously accept your terms," Cerea said with a bow.

"H-HEY! Don't I get a say in this?"

The girls finally turned back to Kimihito. Something in his eyes said he didn't like this idea. "I can't get you all pregnant! I don't have the money to take care of seven kids!"

"We will figure that out," Rachnee said. "I'm sure the Princess here can get her mom to care for her granddaughters."

"Oh yes," Mero agreed. "Mother would adore a successful human and Mermaid coupling."

"That is not going to happen!" Kimihito said. "Don't you remember that I'll be jailed if I do anything with you? Even if you're willing? And then, you'd all get deported! We'd be split up anyway!"

"Seven pregnant women deported from a loving father," Rachnee said, using her claws like a frame. "The headlines won't look good for the Exchange Program. They won't risk the bad press."

"You're all on board with this?" Kimhitio asked. "This is insane! Lala, tell them!"

The Dullahan stared back at him with no visual change, except for a red tint in her cheeks.

"You too?!" Kimihito was in absolute shock now. How could the most stoic of the group suddenly want to be a mother?

"This will not work if we all do not agree," Cerea said.

"This won't work at all, especially because it's not happening!" Kimihito held up his hand for silence. "No more about any of this! I'll find a way around the exchanges, but I am not risking losing you guys like that! It's not worth it!"

He threw down his work bag and headed for the kitchen. "Just go get ready for dinner, guys. I've got a new recipe I think you'll like. Maybe some food will calm us all down."

The girls slowly split up to prepare for dinner. Rachnee, Miia, and Lala were all brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

"I guess Darling still favors me," Miia said triumphantly. "He doesn't want any of you."

"He said the risk was too great," Rachnee recalled. "He wishes not to lose any of us."

"Damn," Miia whispered. She hoped the jab would have convinced the Arachne to give up.

"He is not wrong," Lala said. "A great risk is upon us. Hell's fires will pale in comparison to our punishment."

"Well, that's simple," Rachnee said. "We just need to get others to agree with us. They can't possibly risk angering an entire city."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Miia asked.

"I, shall we say, 'borrowed' a video camera a while back," Rachnee said. "And I know a thing or two about the internet. Would either of you be willing to help after Honey goes to bed?"

Lala eyed the Arachne suspiciously. "What would this video entail?"

"Don't worry, it'll be tasteful," Rachnee assured her. "But just as fun and naughty. Isn't that how all rebellions should be?"

 **A/N: One of the interesting things about this universe is its references to mythology. I am a mythology nut, hence the main antagonist's name and speech, so expect more to come throughout this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Kimihito's Funniest Home Videos**

Lunch was Kimihito's favorite time of the day. It was one of the few times he could ever be alone. Plus, he could get some greasy fast food. It was a guilty pleasure of his. It wasn't healthy, but it tasted so darn good.

The hamburger stand had plenty of seats outside its main lobby. Kimihito could enjoy his meal while watching cars, people, and Liminals pass by. It was always pleasant to see human-Liminal couples walk by. He could relax and feel like humanity was making progress in accepting them.

A nearby electronic billboard was blasting the latest development from a news station. So far, there were no new stories of Sparta or their attacks. Just the standard stuff about politics, economics, and social changes. Nothing to be concerned about.

"In related news, a recent video has gone viral across the internet," the newscaster said. "It's message: allow Interspecies Exchange families to adopt intimate relationships. Since its posting, the video has sparked dozens of supportive comments, millions of views, and even gained the supportive of Liminal activist groups. Here is, in its entirety, the full video."

Kimihito smiled. The girls would have a field day with this.

"Is it on? Is it on? Does the red light mean it's on?"

Kimihito froze, burger halfway to his mouth. That sounded like Papi's voice.

"Oh, just give it here, sweetheart."

THAT was undoubtedly Rachnee's voice. Looking up, Kimihito saw the screen come into focus, highlighting Mero and Cerea, who stood side by side in his living room.

"Okay," Rachnee said. "It's working."

Mero cleared her throat. "Greetings, fellow citizens. I am Princess Merone of Mermaids."

"And I am Centorea," Cerea said. "A noble Centaur knight."

Kimihito's breath caught in his throat. This couldn't be good.

"We have been blessed to live with a wonderful host by the name of Kimihito Kurusu," Mero said. "He has been so kind to us, and gracious. There is simply no comparison to his love."

To Kimihito's horror, Mero held up a picture of him. Several people began to turn and stare at him. He buried his head under his arms in shame.

"We also have made several friends here at his abode," Cerea said. "Five other Demi-humans have been given the privilege of living here. We are pleased to call Miia, Rachnera, Papi, Lala, and Suu our sisters and friends."

The camera panned around to show the other girls.

"Hello!"

"Greetings."

"Hi everyone!"

"Hmph."

"Suu!"

Mero and Cerea reappeared in the frame, with Mero speaking once again. "Our sponsors have decided that Kimihito's love is too great to be limited as a host. Miia has been allowed to join with him in wonderous matrimony!"

"The problem is that we all love this wonderful man," Cerea said. "But the law prevents us from becoming…intimate with him. If we cannot be with him in marriage, we wish to be mothers to his children."

"This law does not protect us," Mero whispered dramatically. "It prevents us from having happy families with people we love."

"We know others feel the same way," Cerea agreed. "We encourage you to come forward. Write to your leaders. Take to the streets. Let your voices be heard as true revolutionary knights against this oppression!"

She raised her fist in the air. Rachnee could be heard snickering behind the camera. The video cut back to the news studio.

"We are getting reports that the video has led to dozens of phone calls to the Interspecies Exchange Program and protests are forming in support of this Kimihito. Wherever he is, we can all agree he is one lucky guy."

Kimihito dared to look back up at the street. People were passing by with strange looks, some disapproving, some supportive, some even disgusted. He figured it was a better idea to take his food to go.

…

Several thoughts raced through Kimihito's mind by the time he got back home. Work had been an absolute nightmare. Most of his co-workers had seen the video by now. A few of them clapped him on the back and called him a "stud" for landing seven sexy women. Just as many thought he was a pervert for the same reason. One of them was even disgusted by the idea they wanted to breed with him.

"Don't we have enough freaks in this city?" He had asked.

Opening the door, the typical welcome of the girls awaited. They excited to hear his reaction to the story.

"Soooo, how did it go?" Miia asked.

"We did good! The best!" Papi cheered.

"Shall we begin the breeding?" Rachnee purred, stroking a web.

Kimihito took a deep breath. Inside, he was fuming mad. But he couldn't bring himself to scream at his girls. They were all too happy.

"Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You all uploaded a video to the internet about my private life, revealed to everyone I know that seven women want to have my children, staged an uproar against the government, and possibly made us a target for Sparta."

Each of the Liminals looked crestfallen. They had thought he would have appreciated the lengths they went to for him. He prepared to speak again, but he looked into everyone eyes. He realized they knew what they were risking from the start. They just didn't care.

"And you did all of that," he finished, "because you want to be with me?"

"Anything danger in worthy of a life with you, my Master," Cerea said.

"I'm not scared of Sparta or Ms. Smith," Miia said. "I'm more scared of losing you."

Kimihito took another breath. It was simply impossible to be mad at them. They were so in love with him that they risked everything for their family. If the tables were turned, he would have done the same. He held out his hands for a group hug. "C'mere guys."

The girls rushed into his embrace, pushing each other aside to feel his finger on their skin. "I'll work something out for us," he promised. "Somehow, someway, we'll be together."

"Oh, Darling!" Miia began to weep into his shoulder. Kimihito said nothing, just happy to be in a non-lethal hug for once.

"I cannot breathe," Lala said. "Relinquish me at once, Merone."

"I can't," Mero said. "Something's sticking me to Master."

Kimihito noticed that Suu had spread out across her seven housemates like the Blob.

"Whoa! Suu, that is not Darling you are groping!" Miia shouted.

"My legs are becoming weak!" Rachnee warned.

The girls began to lose control and fall forward towards their Master. Kimihito tensed, sensing that a medical kit would soon be required.

…

Deep within an abandoned warehouse, a group of men and women sat around a round table with the Spartan logo. The radio was playing a news clip about the video sent by the Liminal girls.

"Seven monsters in one poor human's house," muttered Raiko. "What kind of sick world do we live in these days?"

"They clearly have their claws in him," said Diane, the lead female Spartan. "He may be too far gone for us to save."

Another Spartan raised his hand. "I can handle that. I've been wiping this place clean of human traitors for weeks."

"Absolutely not," Raiko said. "I don't know how you do things in America, Jonathan, but we have to view things from a sensitive perspective here."

"Sensitive, schmesitive!" Jonathan mocked. "Just let me and the flamethrower out, and we'll have this done by tomorrow!"

"You've already burned too many humans!" Raiko said. "We need the public to see us as saviors! If you keep murdering humans that look at you funny, they will keep calling us terrorists!"

"We've got enough of that from the monsters in government, thank you very much," Diane agreed.

Raiko rose from his chair to gather the group's full attention. "No, this case needs a swift change. Seven monsters in one home is a strange occurrence, especially with a princess in the mix. We need more information on this. Last thing we need is a war with the Merpeople."

He turned to his right-hand lieutenants. "Niko, Raizo, start pressing on our contacts in the Program. Find out who is Kimihito's sponsor and what other projects she's on. Maybe we can get some dirt on him."

The two bowed before leaving their chairs.

"Diane, start getting our civilian followers to counter-protest this video. No doubt it's gathered ire from loyal humans."

Diane smiled evilly as she got up.

"And I just sit on the sidelines with everyone else, like usual," Jonathan huffed.

"Not quite," Raiko said. "I got a special mission for you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 Things Heat Up**

Flipping through the TV channels, Kimihito tried to find something to take his mind off his impending marriage. His email was clogged with everything from praise to hate. There had to be some kind of mindless escapism for him.

He finally stopped at "Lassie: The Teenage Years." Kimihito always liked American TV. But when the show started, he noticed that Lassie was being played by a teen female dog Liminal. Her co-star was a human teenage Timmy who was pouring his heart out to her. "How could you cheat on me with Old Yeller? He's old enough to be your dad!"

Kimihito kept flipping channels until he found "Jaws." This one was different than how he remembered. The girl from the opening scene was making out with a shark-man.

"We can't keep meeting like this," she whispered.

"Well, then you need to stop skinny dipping at this hour," the shark-man responded.

Every channel was filled with these pro-Liminal remakes. "Frankenstein," "Jurassic Park," even "Aliens vs. Predator" were all remade into weird, romantic films. The film industry clearly sided with the pro-Liminal groups that wanted humans and Liminals to wed.

"Maybe TV isn't the right tactic," Kimihito said to himself.

He went to the fridge to get something to eat. Cooking always put him in a good mood. But their stock was empty of vegetables. His contacts with the Program were unable to deliver on time. Sparta had been attacking several supply lines that delivered to Exchange families.

There was no option left. Kimihito called a family meeting in the kitchen. "Guys, we all need to make a trip to Kii's forest. We're out of vegetables."

"Why must we all go?" Rachnee asked. "Usually, some of us stay here to watch the house."

"Yeah, well, with Sparta out there, I don't want to leave you guys alone," Kimihito said.

"So, we're all going on a date together?" Papi asked.

"Uh, I don't think this counts as a date," Kimihito said.

"Why not?" Miia asked. "We're going out together, aren't we? I mean, it would be nicer if we were alone…"

"Oh, please calm down," Cerea chided. "Even if it were, you would need Suu to come with so protect yourself from poisonous plants."

"Yup!" Suu said cheerfully. "I can do that!"

Kimihito grabbed his keys and opened the door. "Let's go, girls. Ladies first!"

He had to dodge out of the way to avoid the stampede of hooves and claws.

…

"Back here again?" Kii asked the group. "Here to take some of my plants again?"

Kimihito was about to speak, but Papi blasted past him to give Kii a hug. "Hey! I haven't seen you in ages!"

Kii laughed and stroked Papi's head. "Well, if I had seen you before, I wouldn't have acted so coldly."

Suu was already testing plants for poison and giving the safe ones to Cerea. The others were taking in the sights of the forest, except for Miia who stood next to her fiancé.

"Who is this woman, Darling?" Miia asked, gripping Kimihito's arm. "Why is she so mean to you?"

"I dunno," Kimihito said. "It doesn't bother me. I think she treats all newcomers like this."

"Not all," Kii corrected.

They heard something rustling from the bushes. Polt came rushing out with bags full of plants. She waved happily at the others. "Hey guys! Where've you been?! I haven't seen you in the gym for a while!"

"Polt?" Kimihito asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed some new healthy foods for my gym!" Polt said. "I thought a health bar would help a lot of people. Diets are just as important as exercise."

"I am surprised that your gym has not been attacked by Sparta," Cerea said.

"Oh, it has," Polt said, still cheerful. "A few broken windows and graffiti, but nothing I can't handle."

"What kind of things?" Mero asked.

Polt skipped over to her and whispered into her ear. Mero's face turned red and she clapped her hands to her mouth. "Oh my!"

Cerea's bags were almost filled with plants now, meaning they would have to go home soon, but Papi was still enjoying her time talking with Kii. There was no reason to hurry.

"Want an energy drink?" Polt asked. She reached into her bag and handed the bottles to her friends. The drinks were more than welcome in the hot sun.

Kimihito took a sip and noticed something smelled off about it. "Is this drink meant for Liminals?"

"No," Polt said. "Humans can drink it too."

"It smells weird," Kimihito insisted. "Like smoke or something."

Cerea smelled the air. "It's not the drink, Master. I smell it as well."

They dropped the drinks and looked through the trees. Smoke was filling the forest and spreading from the south. A forest fire had started somewhere.

"A forest fire!" Kii gasped. "I must protect my home! Papi, help me find the source!"

"Okay!" Papi saluted before taking off to the sky. Kii raced her living chair after her.

Kimihito tried to call Papi back, but she was too far gone. "Papi, stop! Come back!"

He suddenly felt someone pulling at his arm. Cerea was trying to drag him onto her back. "Come, my Master! We must leave now!"

It took tremendous force, but Kimihito managed to yank his arm away. "No! I have to save Papi! She'll get hurt!"

"But you will too, Darling!" Miia said. "Please come back with us!"

"I'm not leaving Papi behind!" Kimihito said. "You guys go back home! I can't lose any more of you!"

He raced off into the smoke cloud with Polt behind. "Wait up! I wanna help too!"

The two held their hands to their mouths to avoid breathing in the smoke. The cloud was getting even thicker and their eyes watered. Kimihito could feel intense heat from the fire lapping at his skin. It was almost unbearable for Polt's fur.

As they got closer, they could make out a giant figure in the smoke. Flame was spewing from his front as if he were holding something. For a moment, the flame stopped and they could see that the figure was a human with a flamethrower strapped to his back and a gas mask on his face. It sounded like he was laughing under the mask.

Papi was flying overhead, avoiding the flame. Kii had fallen off her chair and was cowering away from the man. "How dare you attack my forest, human!"

"My name is Jonathan!" The man shouted. "Sparta has ordered this forest cleared of monsters! Get out, Dryad, or lose your forest!"

"I will not surrender!" Kii screamed.

"Then you die!"

Papi risked a swoop over Jonathan's head, slicing at him with her talons. He screamed and grabbed at his bleeding arm.

"Damn bird!"

He aimed for the tree line, trying to burn the Harpy. She dodged the fire, but the tall trees were getting in her way. She couldn't keep up the chase for much longer. Polt suddenly ran over and began screaming at Jonathan.

"Hey buddy! Over here! Kobold target, right here!"

Jonathan immediately turned around and blasted at her. Polt effortlessly dodged the attack, performing cartwheels and flip jumps over the fire. Her acrobatics frustrated Jonathan to the point where he fired wildly around, trying to burn the girl any way he could.

"Come on! Let's go!" Polt taunted. "I'm over here! Now I'm over here! I'm getting a great work out here!"

Kimhitio rushed over to the Kii and helped her to her feet. She was coughing horribly from the smoke and he could barely see, but they clung to each other with all their strength. Kimihito was about to leave when he saw Jonathan turn towards him. He slowly aimed the flamethrower at him.

"All traitor will burn," Jonathan said. "See you in hell, boy."

A loud metallic clang rang out through the forest. Jonathan turned around to see what had happened. Kimihito could see his flamethrower pack. An arrow was sticking out of it, causing smoke to seep out of the hole. Past Jonathan, Mero was in her wheelchair with Cerea's bow in her hands. The other girls stood beside her.

"Well done, Mero," Cerea said. "Nice shot!"

"Archery is a favorite pastime of my family," Mero said. "It's even harder underwater."

Jonathan toyed with the levers on his flamethrower handle, causing more smoke to leak from his pack. It began to screech like a tea kettle, fire spreading down the metal and towards its owner. Papi saw the flames and said the first thing that came to mind.

"IT'S GONNA BLOW!"

Polt raced over to Kimihito and helped him grab Kii. They carried her over to the other girls while Papi flew beside them. Jonathan tried desperately to get the pack off, but the buckles were stuck. The group ran as fast as they could before they heard an explosion behind them. Trees were knocked down and scorched. Where Jonathan once stood was now a huge crater.

…

The representatives from the Program were there faster than anyone expected. Ms. Smith had brought her most trusted agents to survey the damage. MON was not with her, due to a human being the attacker.

Kimihito and the others were being treated back by the forest limits. Ms. Smith took over care for the human while the others were healed by the doctors. "Quite the adventure you had here, huh Darling?"

"Very funny," Kimihito snapped. "We barely survived."

"So I heard," Ms. Smith said. "Polt and Kii have already told me everything."

"He lost my throne," Kii complained. "What a pathetic rescue."

Kimihito rolled his eyes. He secretly wondered if every Dryad was like this.

"I cannot believe you allowed Papi to fly off like that," Smith scolded. "Quite the irresponsible host, if you ask me."

"Like I could help it," Kimihito said. "I told the others to get back. Which reminds me…"

He turned to the girls. "Why were you there? I told you guys to go home!"

"We weren't going to let you or Papi get hurt!" Cerea said. "My Master cannot come to any harm."

"Papi is our sister and friend," Mero added. "We had to ensure her safety too. As well as our children's father."

Smith chuckled. "Such doting mothers-to-be. I'm pulling for you guys. Try to keep it in your pants until the law passes."

"Yeah, thanks," Kimihito said sarcastically. "What about the guy back there? He said his name was Jonathan."

"That makes sense," Smith said. "Jonathan has been a name associated with Sparta. But there isn't anyone there. A busted flamethrower is in the crater, but there are no traces of any human there."

Kimihito looked at his girls in fear. There was no doubt that Jonathan had gotten away.

Smith put the first aid kit away. "Well, that should be okay. Why don't you go home while we take care of this mess?"

"Yes, because this can't get any worse," Kii groaned.

Kimihito stood up and began the walk back home. The meal he was going to cook was going to be twice as good now.

"I'm so hungry," Miia moaned.

"Please do not grill anything," Rachnee requested. "It will take weeks to get the smoke smell off of me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign**

It didn't take long for news of the forest fire to reach the press. Speculation flew around, but everyone pretty much new that Sparta was behind it. The authorities had been dispatched to find them, but so far there was no luck. Jonathan was still missing in action and presumed armed and dangerous.

Kimihito was granted a few days off due to the attack on the forest. The girls couldn't have been happier that he was home, but their host felt different. He couldn't help but feel that Spartan operatives were going to burst in at any moment.

Ms. Smith kept calling him, giving him regular updates on the investigations into Sparta's activites.

"You know, Darling," she said one day, "it may actually be safer to join one of those protests around the city."

"Are you insane?!" Kimihito asked. "We'd be out in the open!"

"The Pro-Liminal groups have the permits and rights to be out there," Ms. Smith said. "There are some big celebrities out there too. Plus, MON is watching over the event."

Kimihito pondered his options. The girls of MON were highly trained and experienced in fighting. They had kept him safe in the past.

"I'll think about it," Kimihito dismissed before hanging up.

Miia came in from the kitchen, taking a break from her abysmal cooking. "Who was that, Darling?"

"Nobody Miia," Kimihito groaned. He didn't want to concern her with any political BS.

She slithered back to the kitchen. Kimihito turned the television on to the news. A large protest was being formed downtown and was already attracting a ton of people and Liminals. The reporter was standing next to a female dinosaur Liminal.

"I'm standing here with the star of the Pro-Liminal reboot of Jurassic Park, Raptra. Miss, we understand that you and your Velociraptor co-stars are helping to fund this protest?"

"Correct Miss," said the gorgeous Liminal. "And to be clear, we're more closely related to the Deinonychus, not the Velociraptor."

"Fascinating," the reporter said. "May I ask why?"

"Simple," Raptra said. "I fell in love with my co-star. We wish to have a family together, but the laws prevent that. We want a change, and we want our voices to be heard. Thousands of people feel the same. If we just sat back and did nothing, we would be just as bad as the people who made the law."

Kimihito turned off the TV. Raptra's words lingered in his head. He thought he was protected the girls. But they cared more about the law than and doing what was right than themselves. Was it really right to deny them that? Should they be out there protesting as well?

"Guys! Dinner's served!"

That helped the decision along.

"Hold that thought Miia!" Kimihito said. "We're going on a field trip!"

…

"Oh Darling!" Miia swooned. "This is so romantic!"

"If you say so," Kimihito chuckled. He gave each of the girls their own sign. A group of Liminals at the protest had brought along spare signs for newcomers to hold.

"A battle fought by words, not by steel," Cerea observed. "And yet, no less deadly. I will wield my weapon with honor."

Suu held up three signs with her hair appendages. "Hey! Look at me!"

"No fair!" Papi complained. "She stole mine!"

Rachnee carried Mero in her arms, the Mermaid holding up a sign with both hands. Lala was silently fuming at having left her scythe at home. "I could have hidden the blade behind the message."

"No weapons," Cerea scolded. "This is why I left my blade at our armory."

"Hardly," Rachnee mocked. "A sword and a scythe are the only two weapons we have."

The crowd started moving forward. Kimihito waved his hand at the girls. "Okay, stick close to me everyone! Don't let anybody fall behind!"

The group marched with the protestors, waving the signs and doing their best to follow the chants. Kimihito found that his reputation preceded him, as several Liminals came up to him asking for autographs and about his personal life with the girls. It got awkward real fast, eventually forcing Cerea to act as his bodyguard.

They marched on towards City Hall, passing onlookers of both human and Liminal variety. People began to record everything on their phones. Mero and Rachnee waved to the crowd, soaking up the attention.

"This is so exciting!" Miia squealed.

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed from the crowd of the rooftops, barely missing a human protester. Panic swept the crowd as everyone scattered throughout the area. Cerea leapt in front of Kimihito to protect him.

"Run!" Kimihito shouted. "Just run!"

The girls dragged him away from the fray, across a few blocks and into a nearby convenience store. The owner and customers must have fled after they heard the gunshots.

"Is everyone okay?" Kimihito asked. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"What about you, Master?" Cerea demanded. "Are you harmed?"

"I'm fine," Kimihitio said. To his relief, none of the girls looked to be harmed. The group stayed inside the store for ten minutes, although it felt like hours. Papi and Miia soon got hungry, so Kimihito threw some cash onto the counter to pay for the snacks, splitting them among the group.

After they ate, Kimihito stood and walked for the door. "Stay here. I'll look outside."

"No, Master!" Mero pleaded. "They'll hurt you!"

"I'll be careful," he said. "Just stay down."

He walked out the door and looked down the street. He was about to turn around when a gunshot ricocheted off the wall beside him. Behind him, he saw a tall woman in Spartan clothing holding a rifle towards him.

"Who the hell are you?" Kimihito asked.

"Name's Diane," the woman greeted. "I'm sorry I shot. I thought you were one of those creatures. Come with me and you'll be safe."

"Why don't I believe you?" Kimihito asked. "Especially with that Spartan gear?"

"We only want to keep humanity safe," Diane said. "After they shot at you."

"Whatever happened, I bet you had something to do with it," Kimihito snapped. "I think you're a murderous psycho and I'm staying here."

"Then you leave me no choice." Diane raised her gun and fired.

In an instant, something big rushed in front of Kimihito with her sword drawn and a trash can lid for a shield. The makeshift shield blocked the gunshot effortlessly.

"Savage bitch!" Diane screamed. She fired more shots at Cerea, but the Centaur blocked every shot with ease. She kept sure to keep Kimihito behind her body, in case she missed a shot.

"Just come at me and fight!" Diane shrieked. "Use that sword!"

"I don't need to," Cerea said. "I'm just the distraction."

Diane glanced around and saw Suu behind her, chugging a liter of soda pop. Several empty bottles piled at her feet. Finishing her drink, Suu suddenly exploded out of her raincoat like a flood. Diane emptied her magazine into the slime to no avail as it enveloped her from head to toe. The slime girl reformed into a giant around Diane, leaving her in her stomach.

Diane tried to break through Suu's back to breathe, but it was too thick. Suu pretended not to notice, laying on her stomach and kicking her feet back and forth.

"Okay Suu, I'm safe now," Kimihito said. "You can let her breathe now."

Suu pretended to think about it before shaking her head. "Mm-mm!"

"Come on, Suu! She's gonna drown!"

"Oh, alright!" Suu opened a space on her back for Diane to breathe through. The woman gasped and sputtered for air.

"Let me out now!" Diane ordered.

Rachnee appeared, holding a video camera. "Not quiet, sweetie. First, tell the nice people at home who really fired that gun in the crowd."

"Go to hell, Spider!" Diane snapped.

Suu began to drag her back into her body.

"Okay, okay!" Suu pleaded. "I'm the one who shot into the crowd! I was under orders to make the authorities believe the protesters were violent! There, I said it!"

Suu suddenly dragged her into her body and used her inner slime to push Diane towards her mouth. She opened wide and used to tongue to push Diane to the ground like a water slide.

"God, that was disgusting!"

Diane stood up, drenched in slime. The other girls pointed at her and began to laugh while Kimihito and Cerea averted their eyes.

"What's so funny?" Diane suddenly felt very cold. She turned around to see her shoe being dissolved inside Suu's belly. The slime girl let out a large belch as she finished her meal. Diane nervously looked down to see that she had eaten all of her clothes.

Diane screamed and ran off into the night, horribly embarrassed. Suu finished laughing and reverted back to her normal form. She skipped over to Kimihito and smiled up at him.

"Did I do good, Master?" She asked.

Kimihito patted her on the head. "You did very good. You all did. Thanks for the save, Cerea."

Cerea blushed and sheathed her sword. "I-I thank you, my Master. I am honored to serve by your side."

"And me, Honey?" Rachnee dangled the camera in front of him.

"Yeah, you too," Kimihito said. "Thanks."

The other girls quickly left the store to rejoin their family. "Can we go home now?" Papi asked. "I don't like these parties."

"Papi, that wasn't a…" Kimihito decided not to argue. "Let's just find an officer or reporter to give the camera to. Then we'll go home."

…

Diane kept running into the woods, more ashamed than she had ever been in her life. How could she ever face her fellow Spartans like this? There was no doubt that creepy Spider-girl had recorded every minute of her shame. It would be on every news channel in the country.

She finally collapsed for breath by a large tree. Diane kept racking her mind for a way out of this one. No weapons, no phone, and no clothes. How was she to get home?

She finally became aware of how cold she was. The slime had dried by now, leaving her exposed to the wind. Diane held her arms close and shivered from fear and cold.

A watery sound reached her ear, which was odd as she was nowhere near the river. Turning slowly to the side, she saw a tall man made out of red slime standing beside her. He made no effort to show modesty at his form.

Diane stood up, ready to fight. "What do you want, monster?"

He approached her slowly eyes, filled with fear and wariness. He pointed at her and uttered a single word.

"Cold."

"Y-Yeah, I'm freezing! Why?"

The red slime suddenly grabbed her hand and covered it entirely. Diane yelped and jumped back, but he held her back by his own hand. Diane was about to scream when she noticed her hand becoming extremely warm. She smiled at the feeling, wondering if he could do the same for…

"No!" Diane said to herself. "Y-You're a monster! I'm sworn to fight you! This is wrong!"

The slime man cocked his head in confusion before putting his hand over her cheek. Her face felt warm and she realized she had never felt so comfortable in her life. This creature's touch calmed her and made her feel welcome to the night.

"Still…cold?" The slime man whispered.

Diane whispered before she could stop herself. "Very."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 Never Surrender**

Per Ms. Smith's request, Kimihito did not go to the morning protest. She felt as though he may be an active target due to his seven Liminal housemates. He had also been attacked twice now, making things seem even more suspicious.

After cooking breakfast, the group sat by the television to check the news. They were all hoping the police had managed to catch Diane.

"This just in," the reporter said. "The police have picked up Spartan operative Diane. She was found on the edge of the forest shortly after a confession of her investigation of violence at the protest aired yesterday."

The girls and Kimihito cheered in celebration.

"Diane has been arrested alongside a stray Liminal who was taking in for questioning as to her whereabouts. Her charges include assault, terrorism, and public indecency."

"Indecency?" Mero asked. "Goodness, what could she have done?"

As if on cue, a photo appeared on the screen. Diane was locked in a…compromising position with a red male Slime Liminal. The housemates each had a different reaction.

"Oh my!" Miia gasped.

"Ooh! How naughty!" Rachnee purred.

"Ugh! In public!" Cerea said, averting her eyes.

"And now," said the reporter, "we go live to City Hall for an announcement from the Mayor."

The camera cut to the Mayor standing in front of a podium. The MON squad stood beside her. "Last night's protests were among the highest attended in the city. Interspecies couples have quadrupled in the past month while the supporters of organizations such as Sparta have done nothing but cause chaos. For the sake of our people, the stance of this office must be clear…"

"As of today, the ban of interspecies coupling has been revoked. Should Liminal houseguests wish to engage in a romantic relationship with their hosts, they may do so."

Kimihito felt his jaw drop to the floor. After all this time, the law that had hindered him, or kept him safe, was gone. He didn't know whether to be excited or terrified. His life was now in his girls' hands.

Miia wrapped her tail around him and showered him with kisses. "It's finally over, Darling! We are free to be together. And you're all mine now!"

"Ours," Cerea corrected. "We all have a pact to be with Master."

"I simply cannot wait," Rachnee said eagerly.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Papi shrieked, jumping up and down.

Kimihito held up his hands for calm. "Now guys, please! We can figure this all out – HURK!"

The Lamia squeezed him even tighter. "There is nothing to figure out. We must celebrate! And as your wife, I get the first night!"

She zoomed up the stairs with her prize still in her coils. Closing the door behind them, Miia locked every lock on the door before gently setting Kimihito down on his bed. In that moment, they felt time come to a stop, staring into each other's eyes. This was a moment they both had wanted for so long, but now it felt unbelievably awkward.

"M-Miia?" Kimihito said nervously. "I've never actually done anything like this before."

Miia blushed. "Neither have I."

Her tail wrapped around his legs like a vise. He felt himself sink into the bed underneath his fiancé.

"But don't worry, Darling; I'll be gentle."

…

The Mayor sat inside her office exasperated. The press meeting went wild after she announced the new law. Her emails and phone messages were already clogged with hate and appreciation alike.

"You did the right thing, Ma'am," Ms. Smith assured her.

"So you say," the Mayor grunted. "The main reason this was done was appeasement. Those protests were attracting Spartans left and right. How long before they became riots?"

The phone rang, and Ms. Smith reached for it but was beaten by the Mayor. "Smith, this call is for me. Please leave us."

The agent left the room briskly while the Mayor held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"What in the actual HELL were you thinking?" The other side asked. "You're letting our people get defiled by those things?"

"Listen Raiko, your little stunts have been driving people into a frenzy. As if it's not enough to outright murder people, you're causing riots and disrupting peaceful protests!"

"What would you have us do?" Raiko asked. "We are surrounded by traitors that are blinded by beautiful bodies and the promise of sex. Thanks to you, we'll never free them from the literal Siren's Song! This was what we paid you those contributions for! To make sure that this didn't happen!"

"And I thank you for them," the Mayor said. "But I'm afraid I can no longer take your side."

Raiko could be heard taking a deep breath. "Listen, I understand my members have been z bit overzealous."

"That's what you call burning down part of the forest?" The Mayor asked. "Or trying to murder a government sponsored Program member? We have Diane's confession on tape!"

Raiko had had enough. If reason wouldn't work, then it was time for the big guns. "You realize we have intricate knowledge of your office from our meetings. You don't want to betray humanity now. We may just let your secrets slip."

"Do not threaten me," the Mayor warned. "I was smart enough to record all of our conversations. I could always leak them to the press. If I go down, you go down with me."

"You can't do this to us, you selfish bitch!"

"Goodbye Raiko."

…

Raiko heard the line cut on the other end. He slammed the phone down in anger and sat back at his Spartan council seat. "Well, this week has been a nightmare."

"Tell me about it," Niko grumbled. "The law for monster humping passed, Jonathan is still M.I.A., we lost a ton of public support, and Diane is a traitor."

"Shouldn't we try to break her out, at least?" Raizo asked. "In case she testifies against us?"

"The decision to let her rot stands," Raiko said. "She betrayed our race and failed her mission. She deserves to be eaten alive by the courts. And her slime lover."

"Jonathan would know what to do," Niko lamented. "He never like her."

"This is all that Kimihito's fault," Raiko spat. "Him and his damn harem of monsters. Until further notice, he is considered public enemy number one! We don't make any large-scale plans until they are out of the picture!"

"Hear, hear!" Niko agreed.

"Now then," Raiko said, "we need a plan. He is protected by the government and MON. How can we take him out without it leading back to us?"

"I know someone who can handle that for us," Raizo said. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Mr. Kurusu? It's Raizo, from the home office! I have some information about your son that you may want to hear…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 Sharing is Caring**

Papi looked disheartened as she poured cereal into a bowl of milk. "I miss Master's food."

"He is sleeping later than usual," Cerea noticed. "I don't trust it. He could be hurt."

"He is fine," Rachnee assured him. "Miia was just a little overzealous."

"How do you know?" Cerea challenged the Arachne.

Rachnee grinned cheekily. "Because he'll need his energy if he wants to handle me."

Loud humming was heard coming down the stairs. Miia slithered into the kitchen, happy as could be. She seemed to almost dance her way to the cereal.

"Well, someone seems happy," Cerea said with a scowl.

"Oh, last night was wonderful!" Miia cooed. "Darling and I are so in love!"

"Details," Rachnee said. "Now."

"Oh, he kept saying how much he loved me!" Miia squealed. "How he couldn't wait to start our lives together!"

"That's not what I meant," Rachnee said.

The girls stopped what they were doing as they heard a strained moan. Kimihito slowly entered the room on weak legs. He grasped a chair to steady himself and grabbed the milk.

"Master?" Cerea asked. "Are you well?"

"My spine feels like it snapped in half, I can't feel my left arm, and I'm pretty sure one of my legs is broken," he said.

Miia looked down in shame. She had hoped her Darling would have loved his first time, especially with her. Kimihito looked up at her and gave a reassuring smile. "And it was worth it."

Miia swooned and clasped her hands together in joy. "Oh, Darling!"

"So, when is it my turn?" Rachnee asked.

"Hey, I called first dibs!" Papi complained.

"I have more than earned the right to be his first mistress!" Cerea insisted.

"Guys, stop it!" Kimihito said. "Last night was pretty rough for me. Let me have some time to recover and then we'll talk about it, okay?"

The girls nodded and went back to their breakfasts. They knew today was going to be slow and boring, so there was no need to rush.

…

Kimihito lay back on the couch drinking a juice box. It felt good to rest and watch some television with the girls, even though his legs were still healing. The only time he got up was to go to the bathroom or to answer his cell phone.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hello, Darling!" Ms. Smith greeted. "How is the hero of the people?"

"Is that what they're calling me now?" He asked, bemused.

"Yup!" Smith said. "They're giving you and your girls the credit for capturing Diane, and for helping that law to change. Speaking of, how did the girls take it?"

Kimihito winced as he adjusted his arm. "As well as expected."

"You sound tired."

A pause. "Oh my God, you didn't."

"Miia couldn't be stopped," Kimihito explained. "She was too excited."

"Oh, Darling," Smith said with genuine sympathy. "Lamias are quite aggressive in mating. You are actually quite lucky you did not need a hospital."

"Tell me about it," Kimihito groaned. "What's going on with Diane?"

"She's actually cooperating," Smith said. "I don't know what that Slime Guy did to her, but she's handing over all kinds of information. We're giving her a more lenient sentence in exchange, and a cell with the Slime, per her request."

"They're dating?" Kimihito asked. "She tried to kill me, and I'm human!"

"Amazing what sex does to the human mind, eh?" Smith chuckled. "In any case, now that you're officially engaged, we need to celebrate! Where is your bachelor party being held?"

"No idea," Kimihito said truthfully. "Wasn't planning on one."

"That won't do," Smith chastised. "MON and myself have the day off tomorrow. We'll work something out. See ya' then!"

The line went dead before he could argue. Kimihito put the phone down and sat on the couch. Miia soon coiled up beside him, placing her arm on his chest.

"Who was that Darling?" Miia asked.

"The usual weirdness from Ms. Smith," Kimihito said. "It's not important."

Miia rested her head against his shoulder and began to fall asleep. Kimihito kept watching TV, briefly wondering where the other girls were.

…

Cerea stood in the kitchen, surrounded by the other women and shuffling the sticks around in her hand. "Now, we are all in agreement then? Miia's night with Master has ended, leaving us to have our chances. Whomever chooses the stick with the bow tied to it shall be the next girl Master will spend the evening with."

"Fine by me," Rachnee said.

"Fun!" Papi giggled.

"Lady Merone?" Cerea called. "Will you join us?"

Mero stayed by the oven, away from them, and struck a dramatic pose. "No, Lady Cerea. I must insist of being the last. To be the lonely tragic one who is denied the opportunity to be with her true love until the very end, when he is drained of desire by his mistresses."

The girls stared at her.

"Okay, so the tragedy addict's out," Rachnee said. "So, I'll go first."

Before Cerea could protest, the Arachne pulled out the straw with the bow, much to the chagrin of her friends.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Papi squawked.

"Lucky…" Suu moaned.

Lala breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to be the first to go. She was far too nervous.

Cerea gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to snap the sticks in half. "Very well, Rachnee. You won fair and square. But remember we agreed to wait for him to recover. You remember, yes?"

Rachnee showed everyone her trademark evil grin. "Don't wait up for us, suckers. And we won't be quiet."

…

Kimihito locked his door as he prepared for bed. Miia wanted to move into his room, but he just didn't feel it was fair to the other girls. They already wanted to sleep with him, so why should one girl get to move in to his room?

He was about to fall into bed when he noticed his foot was stuck to the ground. It must have been gum. He leaned down to inspect it when he saw something that made his blood freeze.

Spider-webbing.

"Look who arrived." Kimihito looked up to see Rachnee lounging on his ceiling and holding strands of web. She yanked upwards, sending Kimihito upside-down by his leg, helpless.

Rachnee fastened the web to the ceiling, letting Kimihito dangle into front of her. She licked her lips in anticipation. "Oh, Honey, you cannot imagine how long I've been waiting, preparing for this night."

Even in her most seductive form, Kimihito felt terrified. "R-Rachnee…I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" Rachnee asked. "Nothing illegal is happening. What are you afraid of?"

He didn't answer. She knew why he was so scared. Rachnee laughed and drew a claw down his chest. "Oh, no need to be so frightened, Honey. It won't hurt a bit. And the stuff that does…"

Her teeth opened for a love bite. "You'll beg for more."

…

Kimihito sat on the sofa in agony the next morning. Rachnee was able to have her fun without causing him too much pain, but he had still been sore from his time with Miia. It was still an exciting night, but he wasn't sure how long it would take to recover.

The doorbell rang, giving him a horrendous headache. "Can someone please get that? I'm in a lot of pain here."

Papi raced to the door as fast as her legs could carry her. "Hey, it's the superheroes!"

"We're not superheroes, kiddo," said a grave voice. "We're special agents."

Kimihito forced himself to sit up. "Zombina? That you?"

MON entered the house, dressed in their civilian clothes. Kimihito couldn't help but smile. As nuts as they were, he still considered them friends. To boot, Ms. Smith wasn't with them.

They all carried drinks and food with them. Tio held suitcases filled with candy and popcorn, Zombina struggled to carry several cases of beer, Monako had sodas and fruit, and Doppel's popcorn bags blocked her nudist body.

"Man, you look like shit," Zombina said. "Which ones didja screw?"

"Zombina! Don't be mean!" Tio scolded.

"W-We got food and drinks," Monako whimpered. "T-T-To celebrate your w-w-wedding."

"And party up big time!" Zombina agreed.

The other girls appeared in the room with stereos and music players. Oddly enough, Miia and Rachnee were missing, and Cerea had a disgusted look on her face.

"The party's starting now?" Kimihito asked.

"Hell yeah, buddy!" Doppel said.

"But I can barely move," Kimihito pointed out.

"Ya' don't need to," Zombina said. "The stripper does all the moving!"

The housemates all appeared angry for a second.

"Stripper?!" Kimihito repeated. "But I'm gonna be married!"

"Relax," Tio said. "We got someone you all know, and who you wouldn't mind."

Kimihito stared at Doppel for a moment.

"What are you looking at?" She asked. "Wait – oh hell no! Not me!"

The upstairs door flung open, revealing Miia in lacey red underwear. She took her time slithering down the stairs, reveling in the attention. "Hello Darling! This is our first dance before the wedding! Do you like my outfit?"

She twirled around, giving her fiancé a full view. Kimihito felt his mouth go dry.

"Put on some music," Miia said.

Someone started up the stereo and Miia began to dance, until she realized she was dancing to funeral music. Everyone glared at Lala, who sheepishly turned off her song.

"It is romantic where I can from," she mumbled.

Zombina held up her cell phone and blasted club music. Miia began to belly dance in front of Kimihito, showing off everything she could do with her slender body. The human could do nothing but sit and stare and try not to drool.

"I wish I could do that," Tio lamented.

"It is similar to a dance we do in my homeland," Mero noticed. "But it is typically done in private."

"Indeed," Cerea said. "What a shameful display for a wife."

"I wanna learn that!" Papi said.

Miia was about to climb into Kimihito lap when something pushed her out of the way. Rachnee towered over Kimihito in black lingerie and pantyhose over all her legs. "How rude of her to steal my spotlight."

The spider didn't dance, instead choosing to place her face as close to her lover's body as possible without touching him. The anticipation made Kimihito sweat with desire.

"Hey!" Miia shot up from the floor. "That's MY spot. I'm the dancer."

"I was told I was the stripper," Rachnee said, still smiling.

The two glanced at Zombina, who was looking at the clock and whistling carelessly.

"Then we'll just see who he likes best!" Miia challenged. "I'll dance circles around you!"

"Big deal," Rachnee purred. "I look better without my clothes on."

"Oh yeah! Let's test that theory right here, right now!"

Miia reached behind her back for her bra strap while Rachnee did the same. Kimihito gripped the sofa arm like a vice.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!"

Everyone turned to the door to see a human couple standing in the doorway. The woman regarded the monsters in the room with fear and disgust. Her husband glared down at Kimihito with barely contained rage. Kimihito shrank into the couch in fear.

"Mom? Dad?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 Family Drama**

Mortified didn't begin to describe Kimihito's feelings. His mother, Hana, had grabbed every last bandage and piece of gauze to wrap up his scratches and bruises. His father, Haruto, stood angrily against the wall with his arms folded. Some of the girls tried to make small talk with him, but stopped after a silent glare. After that, they retreated to the kitchen, leaving Kimihito and the MON Squad alone with the parents.

Once he was back down on the couch, Haruto took a deep breath. "Now then, how about we start with you explaining to us why there are eleven monsters living in our house!"

Kimihito stumbled with his words. "Well, f-first, there's just seven."

Haurto's expression turned dark. It was obvious that wasn't helping. Kimihito spoke again. "H-H-How did you know?"

"Because some people like to keep me informed of what happens to my home!" Haruto snapped. "I can't believe my son isn't one of them!"

Hana continued to dote over her son, inspecting his bandaged wounds. "Seven strangers living with my boy, making him lie to his own mother and father. How did I fail so miserably?"

"I wanted to tell you when Miia moved in," Kimihito said. "But we weren't in the program, and I thought you'd be angry, so I figured I would sign a few papers and become part of it."

"But this isn't YOUR house!" Haruto shouted. "You had no right to force us into this situation! And look at the house itself! Who did all that construction?"

"Well, we needed a pool for Mero, and some new rooms for the others," Kimihito explained. "The Program paid for it, though, not us."

"Great," Haruto said. "So, my son's become a haven for strays."

"Hey! We are not strays!" Papi squawked from the other room. The other girls quickly shushed her.

"Why are they all girls?" Hana asked. "What have you been doing here?"

"It just worked out that way," Kimihito said. "I had no say in it!"

"Somehow, I don't believe that," Haruto said.

Cerea suddenly came in from the kitchen alongside Mero. They were both wearing chef's hats and aprons, as the Centaur carried a silver platters and cover.

"My Lord and Lady," Cerea said, "we have done our best to prepare a grand feast for you two to enjoy."

"Trying to butter me up, eh?" Haruto asked.

"No, M'Lord," Cerea said. "You are the master of this house. We submit to your will."

She set a plate down and prepared to uncover it. "Miia was observed heavily while making this dish. It should be wonderful."

Unfortunately, the glob on the platter was a black, unrecognizable mess. The stench alone nearly knocked out everyone in the room.

"I made some last-minute improvements!" Miia called from the other room.

Cerea huffed and wheeled Mero away. "Excuse us, M'Lord. M'Lady."

Haruto turned back to his son. "I assume you have a handler for all this?"

"Y-Yes, Dad," Kimihito stammered.

Haruto leaned close enough to touch noses with his son. "Then get. Her. Here. NOW."

…

It was a very tense ten minutes waiting for Ms. Smith to arrive. Haruto said nothing, sitting on the couch with his arms folded, while Hana continued to dote over her son.

"Man, your old man is a hard-ass," Zombina said to Kimihito.

"Watch it, Zombie," Haruto said. "I'm this close to kicking you out."

"Oh, would I like to see that," Doppel said.

"P-Please don't fight!" Monako cried. "W-We're just his friends, I swear!"

Ms. Smith thankfully walked into the house at that very moment. Kimihito never thought he would be so grateful to hear her voice. "Hello, Darling! So wonderful to hear from you!"

Hana stiffened. "Do you greet all the people in the program like that?"

Ms. Smith ignored him and extended her hand. "And you must be Haruto and Hana. I have heard so much about you."

"And we haven't heard enough about you," Haruto said, shaking her hand.

"Oh yes, terribly sorry," Smith lied. "I just get so caught up in paperwork. I'm happy to report your son is a gracious and loving host. It's little wonder the girls have fallen in love with him."

Hana gasped in shock. "What?"

"Oh, he didn't say?" Smith asked. "The girls love him to death. Every full moon, he has to hide from their advances, else he risks injury."

"They try to violate my boy?" Hana asked. "How can you let this happen? They are dangerous!"

"Oh, they're just overexcited," Smith reassured her. "They can't wait for the wedding."

"WEDDING?!" Haruto roared. Even Smith was surprised at the outburst.

"Tell me it's not true!" Hana said. "Tell me you aren't going to marry these violent rapists!"

Kimihito could barely bring himself to say anything. "M-Mom, I swear that it's going to be fine."

Hana burst into tears. Haruto's face turned bright red with rage. "I don't buy any of this. Even I know this is against the policies of the program. How did you get away with this?"

"Well, Ms. Smith told me that it would help the program," Kimihito explained.

"So, let me get this straight," Haruto said. "She told you to get married, and you didn't fight back or protest. Like you never do."

His son looked down in shame.

"I knew it," Haruto spat. "Can't even stand up for yourself."

"Now, I don't think that's fair," Smith defended. "He is an exceptional boy, which is why he is a perfect man for these women."

"That reminds me," Haruto began, "my family never signed up for this. Why are they here?"

"Oh, a simple misunderstanding," Smith said.

"That my son just let happen," Haruto finished. "Why can't you learn how to fight for yourself, son? Can't you grow a spine already?"

Again, Kimihito was at a loss for words. Cerea and Mero entered with another platter of covered food.

"This was made by Papi and Rachnera," Cerea said. "It's a full turkey dinner. They assured me you will love it."

She lifted the cover. "Enjoy."

Haruto nearly threw up as Hana leapt to her feet in shock. "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Papi was laying on her stomach with a cup of gravy over her head. "Stuffing anybody?"

Cerea slammed the lid down. "Papi! You were supposed to use a real turkey!"

Rachnera's laughter filled the room from the kitchen. Mero found herself laughing along. "It was rather funny."

Cerea stormed out of the room with Papi in her arms and Mero trailing behind.

"So, this is your idea of being a good host?" Hana asked. "Letting these scandalous girls play such immoral tricks?"

"Mom, we're not doing anything bad," Kimihito promised. "We didn't even start having sex until…"

It was far too late to stop that thought. Hana felt her mouth go dry. "We? You're with all of them?"

"Well, I'm marrying one," Kmihito said. "But I can't just let them down. They all love me."

"MY BABY'S IS A SEX ADDICT!" Hana screamed.

The MON Squad cheered, except for Monako, who stared at her feet.

"Yeah, buddy!" Doppel cheered.

Zombina mocked Miia's voice and gyrated in place. "Oh, Darling! You're so hard!"

Tio and Smith laughed along. "Now, now," Smith said, regaining her composure, "Darling here is a fine gentleman. He will be a fine husband to these girls. I think you guys are bothered over nothing. If we can fill out some paperwork-"

Her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket. She picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hello sir! How are you…No, everything's fine with Kimihito….Why do you ask?"

Her smile was wiped from her face. She slowly looked up to see Haruto holding his own cell phone.

"You think you're the only one who knows people?" Haruto asked. "How do you think we got that job overseas?"

Hana nodded. "You are in big trouble, missy."

Smith blinked and went back to her call. "Y-Yes sir, I'll come in right away."

She put her phone back in her pocket and looked to the Squad. "Girls, it's time to leave."

Smith left without another word as the girls said their goodbyes. "Later, Buddy."

"Goodbye."

"Y-You have a lovely house."

"Sucks to be you."

The moment the door closed, Haruto leaned to his son. "I don't trust those other girls staying here. Tonight, we will head out to a hotel and continue this discussion elsewhere."

"But Dad!" Kimihito said.

"Son, these girls are intruders!" Haruto said. "You just let random girls enter our house and live here without our permission! You did not have permission to do this, and they did not have permission to live here! This is a family matter, so it stays between the family!"

"But…they are family…" Kimihito said.

"Did you not hear your father?" Hana asked. "They don't belong here! And they attacked you repeatedly! How can you love someone like that?!"

"You have got to learn to stand up for yourself!" Haruto said. "Stop focusing on a girl's breasts and learn to fight back! Until you do, you will never be a proper husband for anyone!"

Everything Kimihito's father said cut deep into his soul, but he couldn't argue with him. He was his dad, after all.

"Okay."

"Good." Haruto leaned down to whisper to his family. "Tonight, when they are asleep. We will stay in your room for our safety. I'll get an air mattress."

Kimihito slumped back, defeated, as his mother continued to nurse his wounds.

…

Outside, a man watched Ms. Smith and the MON Squad drive away. He adjusted the knobs on his flamethrower. It was crude, but it would do the work nicely. He could get a new one once he returned to headquarters. But first, he had to take his revenge.

His hand rubbed his burnt cheek in agony. Oh, the traitorous boy would pay.

"Nice house, Kimihito," Jonathan said. "Can't wait to burn it to ash."

 **Yes, the turkey bit was an Ed Edd n' Eddy reference.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 Battle for the House**

Back in the kitchen, the girls were dismayed at the conversation they could overhear. Miia could fell her heart breaking in her chest.

"No!" She wailed. "After all this, his parents will take him away from me!"

"How can they feel this way?" Mero asked. "How can they not love us after what we said about their son?"

"Hate is not something anyone can control," Cerea lamented. "I fear our efforts will be for naught."

Suu wanted to say something to her friends, but as she looked at Miia's eyes, she saw a darkness that terrified her. "M-Miia? Are you okay?"

"No," Miia whispered. "No. I have come too far to lose my darling now. We cannot let this happen!"

"Miia, we cannot fight the Master of this house," Cerea argued. "His will is the law of the land."

"He isn't my Master," Papi said defiantly. "I don't love him!"

"Death has no Master," Lala droned.

"Honey can't hope to tame me, man as he is," Rachnera agreed. "This boy has no chance of bossing me around."

"I won't let them take Darling away!" Miia insisted. "I'll fight them off with my bare hands if I have to!"

"We cannot!" Cerea said. "We must try to change their minds about us?"

"How will we do that?" Mero asked. "They will leave us tonight!"

Cerea took a deep breath. What she was about to suggest was treason against a lord. But it would be worth it for her Master.

"Then we do not let them leave."

…

"Son, wake up. It's time to go!"

Kimihito opened his eyes to his mother and father standing over his bed. He yawned and grabbed his packed suitcase. He couldn't bear to leave his girls behind defenseless, but he couldn't go against his father.

Slowly, the family opened the door and crept down the stairs. None of the girls were waiting for them and all the doors were locked. Even Lala was nowhere to be seen, and she hardly slept at all. It seemed like they were going to make it.

Haruto reached for the door, but the doorknob was stuck in its position. As he pulled his hand back, he felt something sticky covering his hands. His mouth dropped open in horror at the spider webbing between his fingers.

"Going somewhere?" Rachnee revealed herself to be perched just above the door, wearing her trademark sadistic smirk.

"H-Haruto?" Hana whimpered. "It's a s-s-s-spider!"

"Easy dear," Haruto said. "Just head for the back door."

They turned around to see Cerea, Suu, and Papi blocking the exit to the back. "I apologize," Cerea said. "But we cannot let you leave."

"You're not stopping me!" Haruto turned to the side door through the kitchen, but Lala, Miia, and Mero were there waiting.

"Nope!" Miia said happily.

Hana shrank back behind her husband in fear as Haruto stepped forward. "You have no right to keep me from leaving my house!"

"And you have no right to make us leave," Cerea said. "Your son loves us and let us live here. Only he can make us leave."

"This is not his house!" Haruto said. "I say what goes on here, not him!"

"Then let's put it to a vote," Rachnera said. "Who votes we leave?"

Haruto and Hana raised their hands instantly, but Kimihito kept his to his side.

"And all opposed?" The girls raised their hands. Kimihito felt his parents stare at him, waiting for him to say something. Slowly, he raised his hand up with the girls.

"Then it's settled," Miia said. "Why don't we talk in the kitchen, like adults?"

With no other choice, the humans dropped their luggage and followed the girls to the kitchen with Rachnee blocking the rear.

…

The girls sat at the table, facing the humans. Kimihito was dragged to the middle of the girls' side, stuck between Suu and Miia. Hana tried to keep her son by her side, but Rachnee was too strong.

"So, how shall we begin?" Miia asked. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"

"Ms. Smith emailed us the files," Haruto said. "I know who you all are."

"Then you know we are noble representatives of our homelands," Cerea said. "And that we are the ideal partners to our Master."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Hana asked. "It's extremely creepy."

"She doesn't mean anything dirty," Kimihito said. "They just have pet names for me."

"Oh, trust me, Honey can be VERY dirty," Rachnee purred.

Hana squirmed in her seat as her husband muttered something under his breath.

"Rachnee, PLEASE no more sex talk in front of my parents," Kimihito pleaded.

"Oh, alright," Rachnee sighed. "Prudes."

"We merely wish to show you that we can be the ideal houseguests," Mero said. "And we will share our love with our Beloved as best we can."

"My son is a sex addict," Hana muttered. "My son is a sex addict."

"Mom, please!" Kimihito shouted. Sitting beside his girls was making him more assertive and confidant. "This isn't just about sex! I love all of them! I wouldn't have agreed to marriage if I didn't love them!"

"And what about the rest?" Haruto asked. "What will you do? Keep six girlfriends with your wife? Can you trust seven monsters to live together like a sorority?"

Now Kimihito was getting angry. "Stop calling them that, Dad. They are people."

"They are female, yes, but they aren't human," Haruto said. "How can you trust them? How will you live your life?"

He leaned across the table to face his son, who was stewing with rage. "Stop insulting them, Dad!"

"What makes you think they care for you? They just barge into our house and expect to be welcome without informing me or your mother! What if all they want is a foolish boy to satisfy them? Is that what you want? A life of debauchery and sex?"

Kimihito leapt out of his seat. "If that's what they want, then yes! I will happily live that life if it makes them happy, because it makes ME happy! I love them, do you understand! I love them!"

The whole table stared in shock at Kimihito's outburst, especially his parents. They had never seen their son this angry in their entire life, even after everything they said to him.

Kimihito took a deep breath and regained his composure. "I know it's unconventional, and that you didn't plan this for me. I didn't have this planned either. But you don't choose who you love."

He turned to face the women. "This was never about just making a point about rights to Liminals or the chance to live every man's dream of a harem. Each of these girls give me something I've never had: the confidence to be myself. I see myself in each of them, and they all bring out something in me that I never knew I had before. If I could, I would take every on of them as my wife, but the law doesn't work that way."

He sat back down to face his father with his hands folded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you and Mom, but I'm not sorry this happened. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I will fight to keep these girls in my life. I don't need your permission and I don't need the government's. We are a family now."

Kimihito took another breath and drove the point home. "And as far as I'm concerned, we're already married. All of us."

The girls blushed at their husband's speech. Hana looked down at her hands in shame, unwilling to look the girls in the eye. Haruto sat with his mouth open at his son until he managed to close it and speak with some minor difficulty. "This…this is how you truly feel?"

"Yes, Dad," Kimihito said.

Haruto scanned the women before him. This was uncharted territory for him. His son had never even had a girlfriend before. "I need some time to think, son. Why don't we pick this up later and get some sleep?"

Kimihito smiled. It was a start. "Thanks, Dad. That sounds good."

Miia stretched and went for the cupboard. "Does anyone need a midnight snack? My treat!"

"I can already smell the smoke," Cerea said.

Papi smelled the air. "Hey, I smell it too!"

Intense light blazed from the front yard. The trees were doused in flame as Jonathan slowly walked to the front door with his makeshift flamethrower in hand.

"It's Jonathan!" Kimihito said. "He found us!"

"Who?" Haruto asked.

"He's with Sparta, a group of extremist monster slayers," Cerea explained. "He's been trying to kill us."

"He what?!" Hana asked. "How many times have you almost died?!"

"To my room!" Mero ordered. "It has a pool! We will be safe!"

The family rushed upstairs to Mero's room just as Jonathan kicked the door in. Kimihito ushered everyone inside, but stopped as the last person came in.

"Son, what are you doing?" Haruto asked.

Kimihito swallowed. "Girls, take care of my parents. I'll distract him so you can get out."

"Darling, no!" Miia said. "You'll die!"

"Go, now," Kimihito said. He closed the door and propped a broom against it to keep the girls inside. This fight was between him and Jonathan, even if it meant his death. He steeled himself and went back down the stairs to face him.

Jonathan was waiting with his flamethrower aimed at the boy. Kimihito stood still, eyeing the fire extinguisher. "You're not hurting them tonight."

"Brave of you, boy," Jonathan spat. "Facing down your doom. Shame you couldn't be on our side."

"I will never be a murderer," Kimihito said. "I will fight Sparta until they are destroyed and Liminals are free to live like the people they are."

Jonathan toyed with the knobs on his handle. "Fitting words. It's never gonna happen, and you're about to die."

He pulled the flamethrower up and was about to spray Kimihito when Papi flew overhead and grabbed it in her claws. Jonathan tried to wrestle it back, but his foot was stuck in a large green slime. Suu kept him rooted to the floor.

Kimihito seized his chance and raced forward to punch Jonathan in the gut. Unfortunately, he recovered too fast and knocked Kimihito back before scaring Suu and Papi away with blasts of flame. He aimed back to Kimihito and blew a stream of fire.

Something large and black blocked his path, absorbing all the fire. Lala stood still as a statue, unharmed by the fire. Before he could act, Jonathan felt pulled back by spider webs from the ceiling. Rachnee worked him like a puppet, throwing his body around the kitchen into the walls, but it did not stop him. With his free hand, Jonathan grabbed a knife at his side and cut the webs away.

He looked up to throw the knife at the spider, but a sword knocked it from his hands. Cerea pointed the blade towards his throat, bravely facing him down. She failed to notice the end of his flamethrower still pointed at her legs. Jonathan smiled and pressed the trigger, but only a hissing sound came out. He looked down to see Mero holding a bucket of water to the barrel.

Jonathan looked up in anger. "You think this will beat me? We are Sparta! We will never bow to-!"

A frying pan bounced off his head, knocking him unconscious. Miia twirled the utensil in her hand like a baton. "Idiot."

The girls ran to help Kimihito to his feet, showering him with hugs and kisses.

"You're so stupid!" Papi said.

"You could have died!" Miia cried.

Kimihito hugged them all and smiled. "Like I said, I'll fight to the end."

Hana and Haruto looked on from the top of the stairs. Haruto was already calling the police.

"Are you okay?" Hana asked. "Is anyone hurt?"

"I feel cold," Lala said. Nobody had the heart to point out how little of her dress remained from the fire.

…

Police cars lined the street, assessing the damage Jonathan caused. Ms. Smith also arrived to help the family, scanning them for wounds.

"Glad Jonathan is gone," Smith said. "We've been looking for him for ages. He'll be getting extradited back to his homeland of America. Turns out he's been involved with some pretty nasty Sparta knock-offs there, and plenty of American Liminals have dibs on him."

"Nice to know you care more about that," Haruto spat. "Look at my house."

"Oh, the Program will have that fixed tomorrow," Smith said. "But that will be the last bit of help I can offer for a while."

"What do you mean?" Kimihito asked.

"I'm being suspended pending an investigation," Smith said. "Your dad's call has placed my work into question. MON will still help you and the city, but they'll be under limited jurisdiction, so they'll primarily be stopping by to check on you all."

Kimihito didn't like her, but he didn't feel she deserved this. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Smith asked. "I just got a free vacation! I needed the extra time to myself! Anyway, get some rest and give me a call. I love our talks!"

Smith walked away with a merry spring in her step. Kimihito shook his head. That woman would always be a mystery to him.

"You all were willing to sacrifice yourselves for him," Haruto said to the girls. "That man could've have killed you all, and you still tried to stop him and save my son."

"And you!" Hana grabbed her son's head in her hands. "You almost died! Are you crazy?!"

"Yes," Kimihito said. "Love does that."

Hana found herself smiling. She kissed her boy's forehead and held him close. "I raised such a brave boy."

The family watched Jonathan be loaded into a large metal box and be thrown into a truck. Once all the police had left, they headed back into the house.

Haruto looked at the girls in shame. "So, I owe you all an extensive apology. But first, I need to sleep for at least a week."

"We promise we will be more accepting," Hana said. "Shall we start over tomorrow?"

The girls all answered. "Yes."

They all walked back to their rooms, ready for a good night's sleep. Miia stopped by Kimihito's room and slithered towards it, giggling to herself. "If I'm quiet, Darling's Mom and Dad will never know."

Hana stuck her head outside the door. "Don't even think about it."

…

Jonathan came to in a lot of pain and in a dark, tight space. The air was thick and he couldn't find out where he was. His flamethrower was gone and he knew that Kimihito and those freaks were alive. Maybe Sparta would come and save him.

He heard something outside rattle. The lid of the chest opened to reveal three stunningly beautiful women. Two were Native American while the other was a blond in a cowgirl outfit. He must have been shipped back to the United States.

He smiled and climbed to his knees. "Oh, thanks you girls! Thank you, thank you, th-!"

He stopped at the sight of the girls' feet. They were blue and decaying, like the undead. The toenails were curved, reminding him of deer hooves. Looking back up, he noticed the girls had lustful gazes, and their smiles showed off their sharp teeth.

The cowgirl spoke with a heavy Southern accent. "He's got a real purty mouth. I bet he can make me squeal like a pig."

Jonathan's gaze finally focused on the sign hanging on a tree behind the girls' heads.

 _Wendigo Reservation_

 **I was torn between using Wendigos or Wampus Cats for the American Liminals Jonathan would meet. I settled on Wendigos because this universe has enough cat girls and I wanted to do something different.**

 **It also just felt like it fit better with the Deliverance reference.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 Understanding**

Kimihito yawned and stretched as sunlight came through his window. He was dreading the meeting with his parents this morning. Granted, they seemed a little more relaxed around the girls after they saved their lives, but that could have worn off. Maybe the shock of being attacked by with a flamethrower hadn't hit them yet.

He walked downstairs to the kitchen and began to prepare everyone's meals. The girls came downstairs first and excitedly dug into the meal. Haruto and Hana were last to arrive. Hana looked visibly nervous as she sat down as her husband happily began to eat.

"Your food is delicious, son," Haruto said. "I guess the stomach is the way to a woman's heart as well."

"Thanks, Dad," Kimihito said, happy that his father was being nice.

Hana folded her hands and looked at the girls. "Listen, my husband and I owe you all a very big apology."

"Yes, we do," Haruto said. "But try to see it from our perspective first. We have been gone for months and left our son alone in the house. When we come back, we find that seven strangers are living with him, and the government has been tampering with out house. I'd like to think any good parent would be suspicious."

Papi looked hurt. "You called us a lot of mean names."

"Yes, and I am sorry," Haruto said. "I was just worried about my son."

"Me too," Hana said. "I know what young ladies are after in a boyfriend."

"Mom, please," Kimihito pleaded.

"Well, it's true," Hana protested. "Ms. Smith said that the full moon makes Liminals go crazy."

Cerea blushed. "It is true, and we are trying to better ourselves."

"Speak for yourself," Rachnee purred.

"It was also a shock when you said you wanted to be with everybody," Haruto said. "Son, marriage is hectic enough, no matter how much you love you wife."

Hana shot him a glare.

"But a wife and six girlfriends, all with children? Can you really support that?"

Mero let out a small giggle. "I am a princess of my people. My mother would be more than happy to give us some money."

"I see," Haruto said. "And you are all okay with living together? With one man?"

"We all love Master," Cerea said. "We are more than happy to be together if it means we can stay with him."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Hana said. "I only hope you treat all my boy well. This house is no sorority."

"We have been very well behaved," Miia assured her. "He has only slept with two of us."

Hana covered her ears. "Too much information!"

"Listen, we'd like to start over," Haruto offered. "You saved my son last night, and he loves you very much. We'd love to welcome you to the family."

"We would like that very much," Cerea agreed.

"We love it here!" Suu said.

"As the official daughter-in-law, I ask for your blessing to marry your son." Miia made a grand bow to Haruto.

The father, confused at the gesture, turned to his son for guidance. Kimihito just shrugged, thinking it was a Lamia thing.

"Uh, granted," Haruto said.

Miia squealed with delight. "It's official! Oh, I cannot wait! I just need a ring, and a dress, and -!"

"Miia!" Cerea interrupted. "We must not get ahead of ourselves! Master's family need to get used to our lives first."

The Lamia sulked as she sat down at the table.

"So, I think if we're going to get along, we should spend the day together," Kimihito said.

"I'd like to just relax in my own home," Hana said.

"Sounds good to me," Haruto said. "I wouldn't mind seeing some TV."

…

Raiko slammed his fist into the table. "Two of us down, one a traitor and one in America!"

"Well, Jonathan was crazy," Raizo said. "Maybe it's for the best."

Niko's hand curled into a fist. "Are you supporting the monsters, now?"

"No!" Raizo said. "But he burned plenty of humans too!"

"They lost their humanity when they sided with the enemy," Niko argued.

"Do you know what this is?" Raiko asked. "This is war. We tried to educate our people, they treated us like psychopaths. The monsters' influence runs too deep. It's time we take off the training wheels."

"Oh, here we go!" Niko said.

"Boss, you can't mean what I think you mean," Raizo said.

"I do. They wanted a war. Now they got one."

…

Cerea watched the living room from the kitchen. Kimihito was watching a movie with his parents on the couch. Miia was snuggled up against his legs on the floor while Rachnee perched on the ceiling, teasing her Honey's hair. The other girls had gone to the kitchen for "snacks."

Sneaking back into the kitchen, Cerea held up a series of straws. "I still don't know about this. His parents are in the house."

"They are moving back to their own room," Mero said. "And we were attacked last night. If we are to be with our Beloved, it will have to be soon, before we are attacked again."

"Agreed," Lala said. "We must live as if we will never see him again. I am in no hurry, but you all may not be as lucky."

"Alright," Cerea conceded. "Same rules apply."

The girls reached for Cerea's hand. Suu and Papi picked the wrong straw. Lala slowly reached for her own and pulled it as fast as she could.

To her small relief, she did not pick the bended straw. She was still too nervous. That left Cerea with the chosen one.

"Aw, lucky!" Papi groaned.

"Congratulations, Lady Cerea!" Mero said happily.

"Good luck!" Suu bubbled.

Cerea's face turned bright red as she stared at the straw. "Um, well, I will be certain to…make my Master proud. I will see you all tomorrow."

The girls left for the movie as Cerea stayed in the kitchen to drink water. She was nervous and excited at the same time. She had no idea what to do. There was no way she would ask Rachnera or Miia for advice. Miia would never give it and Rachnera would just mock her or make her look like an idiot. She eventually took her glass of water back to the living room.

After the movie, everyone began to go to bed. Kimihito said goodnight to his parents as they retired to their old room, taking time to say goodnight to each of the girls. Kimihito couldn't be happier that everyone was getting along. He smiled and walked to his room to get some sleep.

To his surprise, Cerea was standing by his door. "Hey, Cerea, what's wrong?"

She began to sweat. "Oh, nothing! Nothing's wrong! I'm just…a little nervous."

"About what?" Kimihito asked.

"Well, we drew straws again tonight….and…"

Kimihito's eyes widened. "Oh. You want to do that? Tonight? What about my parents?"

"We understand the risks, Master," Cerea said. "But we wish to spend as much time with you as we can. Sparta can attack at any minute, and we want to share our love with you as closely as we can."

"I see," Kimihito said. He looked back at his parents' room. "It's against my better judgement, but…"

He took her hand and lead her into the room. Cerea felt her legs stumble as she walked behind him. She closed the door and locked it, trying to appear calm.

"Wait, Cerea, before we do anything, I have one condition."

Cerea felt her heart drop. "What is it?"

"Tonight, don't call me Master. You're my equal. I want tonight to reflect that."

Cerea smiled and thought she would cry. "I accept your terms. May I still call you Milord?"

Kimihito thought for a moment, trying to come up with something charming.

"Of course. My Lady."

That broke the dam. Cerea grabbed Kimihito and pulled him into a deep kiss.

…

Raiko stood in front of the giant monitor screen, watching over his fellow members. A map of the world was highlighted behind it, revealing just how widespread Sparta really was.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen," Raiko announced. "We're ready to launch Operation Reclamation. We'll be striking monsters on every continent, wherever we can. Team leaders, are we ready for war?"

"Ready," said a woman with an American accent.

"Standing by," said a German woman.

"I'm ready," a Japanese man said.

"What are we waiting for?" A Hispanic man asked.

"Good to hear," Raiko said. "Now let's get moving!"

He clicked on the screen to close, sending Sparta to war against the world.


End file.
